Carolyne
by imaginaryfriend09
Summary: Months after the unfortunate accident on Ariel, the Captain's lost trust in the Mercenary is regained when Jayne saves River's...


Title: Carolyne  
  
Spoilers: Hinting towards the events in Ariel.  
  
Summary/Teaser: Months after the unfortunate "accident" on Ariel, the Captain's lost trust in the Mercenary is regained when Jayne saves River's...  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story; hell the (recognizable) characters in it aren't mine.  
  
Feedback: Please! And please be kind.  
  
Author's Notes: Unfortunately memory fails me, I need to get me hands on some transcripts, I do have the correct episode don't I (in the spoiler)? If anything sounds any wrong, well it's fan fiction, I control this little universe. Oh, and I happen to change tenses (past, present) don't mind it, haven't got a Beta-Reader so, yeah. Plus I'm not sure if I got the character's voices down, bear with me.  
  
-Carolyne-  
  
"But Simon, it's mine and I need it! He can't remove the stars from the sky, and he can't take Carolyne from me!" River strained against her brother's arms, pleading with him to let her go.  
  
The crew of Serenity had landed on Gmalion; there were supplies to be picked up, and fun to be had before heading to Aetala for their next job.  
  
Simon held onto her tighter, glad that she hadn't started yelling, or kicking yet.  
  
"River. Mei-Mei honey, no. You can't- River, stop that." He said when she tried to bite him.  
  
Captain Malcolm Reynolds had allowed the Tam siblings to stretch their legs and get off the Firefly class ship for the day.  
  
"Please get your sister under control Doctor." Mal told Simon slowly; at the same time he eyed the crowd around them, wondering if anyone had noticed.  
  
Mal, Simon, and River, had headed to an open café of sorts on the planet. It was owned by a trusted acquaintance of Mal's, and he figured it might be shiny in the eyes of River.  
  
Drelus walked over to the table where Mal was seated, being the owner of Evslin, he kept his eyes open for any trouble, and had caught the commotion between Simon and River.  
  
"Everything alright with those two Mal?" Drelus questioned, picking up the Captain's mug, and pouring more coffee in it. His eyes wandered back over to the two. Simon and River's chairs were side-by-side, and to anyone who didn't care to look twice, it just looked like a brother bothering his younger sister.  
  
Three weeks before landing on Gmalion, Simon put River on a new set of medications that were having a positive affect on her. She seemed to have a clearer mind, and acted out less, but had memory lapses from time to time, and the nightmares hadn't left her.  
  
Mal looking back at River was happy to see she could keep her wits about her, and not cause a scene. She and Simon just smiled in between their whispers to keep up the charade.  
  
The area where Evslin was located was a decent one but it was not without it's shady characters and lowlifes. On the way there, River had a lapse and wandered away from Simon, and into a bar. Before Mal pulled her out, an unfriendly character by the name of Prawl pocketed River's beloved Carolyne and she left the bar without it.  
  
Had Prawl not seated himself across the street from Evslin, River would have her brother following her around Gmalion all day searching for Carolyne.  
  
"She's right there Simon please! She's my little star, I have to get her back."  
  
Carolyne was a little raggedy doll that Kaylee had bought River for her birthday, a month earlier. The thug Prawl seemed to be getting a kick from upsetting a child. In Simon's opinion, Prawl most likely believed that River was younger than she actually was.  
  
"I know that you really want Carolyne back Sweetie, but we'll just get you a new one okay?" River relaxed a bit, and Simon loosened his grip on her.  
  
River looked at him sadly, "can't you just go over there and ask for her back? Please Simon, can't you?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry, you know I would if I could, but I can't."  
  
Simon could imagine the schemes that his sibling might be hatching, and knew that she was holding herself back from doing anything. River had yet to "act (too) crazy" in almost a month.  
  
"How about the Captain then? If I asked real nice maybe. Even though the darkness offers him salvation, he chooses the harsh but true light." This last part River said more to herself as she fidgeted in her seat again.   
  
"No River." Mal and Simon said to her, Simon quickly putting his arms back around her.  
  
"Somehow I doubt that'll do any stoppin'er if sh'wanted to get goin'." Jayne said with a slightly amused expression.  
  
Jayne Cobb had reluctantly agreed to come along to Evslin when Mal asked him to("That wasn't no ruddin' question, order's more like it."). He was added protection for Serenity's resident fugitives. In fact, Jayne had been the one to spot Prawl with River's doll in the first place.  
  
After he said this, River shifted her attention to him. "Or-or Jayne! Jayne could get Carolyne! He may have given one doll away, but not this doll, and wouldn't feel the need to save her, but the large man is changed now."  
  
Jayne blinked when he heard this, as far as he knew the Tams knew nothing of his betrayal towards them.  
  
Before Jayne or Simon could say anything to River, Prawl raised his voice nearby. He had gotten up from his seat, and was standing near the tables where they were seated. There were two other men with Prawl, and were even uglier than him.  
  
"I think I'll feed it to Dering." He said to his companions, indicating the doll.  
  
"He's just a pathetic man, look River, and he's an old bully, nothing more." Simon told River when her eyes glazed over.  
  
Prawl dropped the small doll to the dirt ground and whistled, a large dog walked over and sniffed at it.  
  
River sniffled, and then broke free of her brother, striding over to Prawl.  
  
"She's mine, give her back." She said in a hard tone. Now she certainly looked her age, and she looked like whatever the academy had attempted to turn her into. She looked scary. This look had no impact on Prawl and his buddies. What might eventually have some affect on Prawl was what was in River's hand.  
  
Mal hadn't even noticed his gun was not in its holster.  
  
"Mal, ain't that your piece?" Drelus asked with a sad laugh. All Mal could do was nod; it must have been when he steered her out of the bar that she took it.  
  
Simon and Jayne overheard this, and soon they saw it too.  
  
"This is yers huh lil' girl? Well I 'pologize, but if it'was, it ain't no more. Now it's my Derling's food." Derling received a pat from Prawl, and then barked.  
  
"Give me my doll." Prawl lifted an eyebrow, but before he could reply Jayne was on his feet and beside River.  
  
"I suggest you give my daughter back her doll." He said, placing his arm around River protectively, and positioning himself to hide the gun in her hand.  
  
"Yer daughter huh?" Was all Prawl said as he ground the doll into the dirt a bit.  
  
Prawl and his friends may have outnumbered Jayne, and might have had fight experience, but Jayne was the better fighter on his own. If he needed any help there was Mal, Drelus, and Simon (and River) behind him. And if that wasn't enough, Jayne was bigger.  
  
"You've gone and made my little girl unhappy, and I don't take too kindly to those that upset 'er." Jayne's voice was low when he said this, and pushed River behind him to stand between her and Prawl.  
  
"Now you had better pick that doll off the ground, dust 'er off, 'nd give 'er back to my girl, or you'll pray that some Reavers find you 'fore I'm through." Mal was as surprised as Simon was; they knew it was the Mercenary in Jayne showing, but to act like that for River without being asked was different. Now Prawl seemed to be rethinking using Carolyne as dog food.  
  
He bent down and picked up the small toy, keeping his eyes on Jayne. As he slowly straightened up, Prawl tried to punch Jayne in the gut. Jayne had of course anticipated this course of action from the brut, and proceeded to sending him (and his friends) painfully to the ground in a matter of seconds.  
  
"That was a ruddin' stupid idea." Jayne said, picking up Carolyne and handing her back to River, putting his arm around her again.  
  
"We should get back to the ship, we seem to be drawing attention. Thank you for the service Drelus, see you another time." Mal was in slight shock saying this, and from the looks of it, Simon was in shock too, but they headed back to Serenity all the same.  
  
The way there Mal and Simon didn't say anything, and River grinned happily and spoke to Jayne, whose arm was still on her, he didn't seem to notice.  
  
Once they were back onboard Serenity for a while, River realized she hadn't thanked Jayne for saving her doll. She found him lifting weights and expressed her gratitude. Before she turned to walk away, River decided to say something more.  
  
"I wouldn't want to be your daughter you know Jayne. In fact, I think we might both want me to be something different."  
  
River said this, smiled slyly, then danced away, Carolyne in her hand.  
  
Jayne shook his head and returned to his exercise, grinning.  
  
... Months after the unfortunate "accident" on Ariel, the Captain's lost trust in the Mercenary is regained when Jayne saves River's... Doll.  
  
The End. 


End file.
